Man's murder charge dismissed in fatal shooting outside Minneapolis Target
MINNEAPOLIS — A man accused of fatally shooting another man in a Minneapolis Target parking lot at the beginning of the year is no longer facing any charges.
Barqalde Abdullahi Barqalde, 21, had previously been charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 15 shooting. Charges were dropped last Wednesday because the state cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, according to court documents.
Police responded to the shooting in the parking lot of the Target at 1650 New Brighton Boulevard. Officers found the victim, a 19-year-old man, with a gunshot wound to the chest and a handgun nearby. The man was hospitalized and later died.
Charges say officers detained Barqalde, who was at the scene and told police the victim's wounds were self-inflicted.
Police reviewed surveillance footage, which showed Barqalde and the victim "fall out a Tesla" and fight in the parking lot, according to the complaint.
A criminal complaint says Barqalde told police he had been driving the Tesla, and the victim was "playing with a gun."
Officers noticed the pocket of Barqalde's hoodie "had been blown apart and there appeared to be a bullet hole in his jacket, suggesting that the gun was fired from inside the hoodie pocket with the bullet going through his coat and into victim," charges stated.
Police connected the gun found at the scene to a killing in St. Paul on New Year's Day. Investigators say they spoke to someone "associated with the gun," who claimed he gave it to Barqalde.
No charges have been filed in the St. Paul shooting.
Note: The video above originally aired Jan. 18, 2024